


What Happened in Madrid

by Seeress



Series: Figure Skating Rivals: Hanyu and Fernandez, a History [2]
Category: Figure Skating RPF
Genre: Canon compliant as of post Pyeongchang, Everyone thinks Yuzuru is pretty, M/M, POV Third Person, Warm and Fuzzies, pure indulgence on my part
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-30
Updated: 2018-04-30
Packaged: 2019-04-30 01:24:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,065
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14485737
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Seeress/pseuds/Seeress
Summary: Javier is part of a loud, exuberant, loving family.





	What Happened in Madrid

**Author's Note:**

> Set in the same timeline as What Happens Next Is This. Can stand alone, I suppose, but would make better sense if you read the other fic first. Pure indulgence on my part. On record canon compliant, as of writing. I just added what was _off _the record.__

Sofia Lopez sat back and took a sip from her drink. It was a gorgeous day, feeling more like spring than the beginning of summer. The Madrid sun was out but there was enough cool breeze to keep things from getting too heated. She was at a party thrown by her cousin Javier, or Javi as the family calls him. It was ostensibly a _despedida_ , as he was moving away again, back to Toronto, but it was more to introduce his newest _amor_ to the clan than anything else.

Yuzuru Hanyu. She had known of him, of course. She has been watching her cousin’s competitions long before he had his growth spurt at age 13. When he was 21, Javier came home for a visit during Christmas time and all he could talk about was his new rinkmate and friend, Yuzu. They had spent the last 6 months training together. Javier just came from the Grand Prix finals where he ended up in last place. This was before all the winning streaks and Worlds titles, and it was already an awesome achievement to even qualify for the GP finals for the little-known skater from Spain. Yuzuru had won silver.

Sofia was surprised at Javier’s obvious fondness for the boy, who in all aspects appeared to be his direct rival. Not two years before, Javier was upset at how his then coach preferred another training mate over him, a French guy just a little older than Javier. It was another point in a long list of complaints against Morozov. She was glad - and relieved - when the Spanish federation finally worked things out and Javier changed coaches. He seemed so much happier in Canada.

Or perhaps she shouldn’t have been surprised. Javier was her favorite cousin, among her multitude of cousins, for a reason. From the way Javier talked, she had pictured Yuzuru as a lonely kid - awesome skating skills, yes, but lonely. And Javier had always been kind with a soft spot for kids.

Javier won bronze at Worlds a few months later. They had screamed themselves hoarse when they realized his free skate scores was enough to offset the uninspired short program. His friend Yuzuru came in at fourth.

Javier didn’t come home to Madrid in the off-season. He was all excited at being invited to perform at the ice shows in Japan. Figure skating is _big_ in Japan and these shows paid good money. They were talking over Skype when their _abuela_ expressed her worries that her poor, little Javi would be in a country where they didn’t speak Spanish or even English; and what would he even eat? Javier reassured their grandmother that his very good friend Yuzu would take care of him, and went off again about the boy.

In the beginning, Sofia had this mental image of Yuzuru as a quiet boy, lonely and displaced, but who loved the ice as much as Javi did. She remembers the first time she finally saw a picture of Yuzuru. Javier was Skyping with the family when his sister Laura told him to shut up and can he please just send a picture of this Yuzu so they don’t feel like he’s talking about an imaginary friend. Javier grudgingly sent one with dire warnings of please, _please_ don’t share, Yuzu _really_ likes his privacy.

Sofia was used to strong features, deep-set eyes and wide mouths. To her Spanish eyes, Yuzuru - with his flawless skin, small, perfectly shaped nose, softly crinkling eyes, and cupid bow lips - was gorgeous. His smile looked delighted, impish, and sweet all at the same time. Their cousin Ronaldo asked, not quite jokingly, if Yuzuru was really a boy. Javier rolled his eyes and said, yes, he’s sure of it.

Javier never quite stopped talking about Yuzuru. They teased him about his pretty rinkmate, all in good fun, just jests between cousins, especially after they started seeing the two being cute in podium ceremonies. Laura was the worst of them, ending calls with “Tell Yuzu you love him already or I’ll take his pretty ass off your hands!” to which Javier would reply with “He’s too young for you” and an eye roll.

Javier introduced Miki to the family a few months after the Sochi Olympics. Sofia was happy that her cousin seems to have sorted through his disappointing loss and is smiling again. She was amused, but unsurprised, that it took a pretty girl to take his mind off things. Javier had always liked girls. And girls liked him back. Javier was sweet, considerate, and very easy on the eyes. He had girls throwing themselves at him since he was 12, when he was still good deal shorter than he was now, and with far less muscles.

A couple of months later, the Grand Prix finals for 2014 was held in Barcelona. It was less than 3 hours away by train and those of Javier’s widely extended family who could go, went. Sofia couldn’t because of work but she screamed and cried at the TV when Javier won silver anyway. Yuzuru was a far, distant gold.

Sofia kept pressing for stories, but Laura came back from the trip to Barcelona pensive. Yes, Javi was great. Yes, she met his Canadian coaching team. Yes, she met Yuzuru and his mom. No, actually, he’s even more pretty in person (how is that possible??). Yes, she liked him, he’s quite charming. Yes, Javi was happy. A pause. Laura says she only wants her brother to be happy, and she hopes he realizes that.

Laura stops teasing Javier about Yuzuru after Barcelona.

Over the years, Javier’s sister and parents meet Yuzuru several times - when the next Grand Prix was held again in Barcelona, when they traveled to watch competitions, when they visited Javier in Toronto. Laura has nothing but good things to say about Yuzuru and his mother. Javier says that’s because she’s only ever met Yuzuru after the competition is over, and that he’s a bitch to be with pre-competition. Javier agrees, however, that Yuzuru’s mom is lovely, and a saint for putting up with her son.

Sofia has only ever seen Yuzuru over Skype. They’d be talking with Javier, and Yuzuru would pop up in the frame, smiling, waving at everyone, cheerfully butchering Spanish greetings while Javier looked on in fond affection.

One day, Javier announced that he was returning home to Madrid for good. There were cheers, hugs and back slaps all around. He had a new girl by his side, and they seemed delighted. Marina was a change from Miki. Young, fiery, and carefree. Sofia supposed it could be a welcome change from his previous relationship which appeared serious enough to make Javier’s mother feel pride and hope that Javier was finally growing up and settling down, alternating with worry and anxiety, for the exact same reason.

Javier came home with Spain’s first medal in Olympics figure skating and was caught up in a whirlwind of media events, ice show promotion, and welcome home parties. It was like the sun was always shining and Javier could not stop smiling. He went away after a while to do some ice shows in Japan and Canada and came back still smiling but without the crazy adrenaline rush of post-Olympics. Real life has caught up and Javier didn’t seem prepared for the life of a retiree at the ripe old age of 27.

Javier tells them he misses the routine, the daily practice and work-out, causing more than one eyebrow to be raised as Javier used to hate going to practice, dragging himself to the rink, waiting for the caffeine to kick in. He keeps in touch with his friends in Toronto, his coaches, and rinkmates. He’s complained more than once (or twice or thrice) that Yuzuru leaves him on “seen” zone, but grudgingly admits that he’s likely busy with training and nothing interferes with Yuzuru’s training time.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief when Javier announced that he’s going back to Toronto to train for Euros. Sofia loved him but he was becoming unbearable, complaining how no news is coming out of his old training rink and how he wished Nam was still there as Jun Hwan was really quite unreliable for updates. She asked what kind of updates was he expecting, they’re all just training everyday, doing the exact same things over and over. Javier looked at her blankly and mumbled something about, you know, news, like how is Yuzuru doing, that kind of thing.

Javier came home for his ice shows and the Spanish nationals. Over the Christmas celebration, he told them that he was seeing Yuzuru. It was a quiet announcement, like he wasn’t sure of what the reaction would be. Admittedly, there were some confusion as Javier had always brought home a girl before, but Laura was suddenly crying and clinging to Javier and telling him through sniffles that she loved him and is so proud of him, and getting Javier misty-eyed as well. One of their cousins broke the tension by saying, well, Yuzuru was prettier than most girls he knows anyway, and Javier could do a lot worse than a 2 time Olympic gold champion. The celebration continued and Sofia felt pretty proud of their family, as she watched Javier smile broadly in relief, receiving congratulations. 

Javier left for Euros and returned a few months later with Yuzuru in tow. Sofia met him for the first time last night, over dinner with Javier’s immediate family and a couple of close cousins, and she saw that Laura was right - Yuzuru _was_ prettier in person. He seemed tired from the media promotions they did all over Spain but relaxed, now that that’s over. Except he was still extolling Javier’s virtues until Laura interrupted him to ask if he’s _sure_ he’s talking about her brother, and the conversation devolved to more light hearted teasing.

Today was a bigger party, with more Fernandezes and Lopezes than you’d know what to do with, and a double handful of Javier’s old friends. Sofia expected Yuzuru to be overwhelmed with the loud, boisterous crowd most of whom spoke in a language he doesn’t understand, but he remained poised through out, proudly showing off the Spanish words he’s learned, charming everyone with his accent. She says as much to Javier, and he just grinned, saying once you’ve faced off a hundred thousand crazy Japanese fans yelling their heads off and hordes of reporters shoving microphones in your face, a Spanish party is not a problem.

The women were delighted with Yuzuru. They either wanted to cover him in kisses or feed him, or both, depending on inclination. The men, Sofia was amused to note, kept shaking their heads murmuring _muy bonito_. There were teasing and innuendos, as expected, but they were mostly directed to Javier, who took it all with good humor. During a particularly rowdy exchange, Yuzuru looked at Javier and raised an eyebrow in question, having an inkling but not quite understanding the Spanish teasing. Javier reached out, smiling, and cupped Yuzuru’s face with his palm, doubling the hoots and cheers. A soft pink rose from Yuzuru’s slender neck to his cheeks all the way to his perfect little ears. Javier pulled him in, and smiled at his cheering friends over the top of Yuzuru’s head, whose red face now hid against Javier’s neck.

The party wore on and Sofia found herself talking with Yuzuru in one corner. She found she really liked Yuzuru. He appeared intelligent and genuinely warm. He seemed to make Javier happy and that’s a big plus. Behind him, she could see Javier was surrounded by women; some were friends, most were cousins. She suddenly felt anxious for Yuzuru to understand that that’s just how it was for Javier: he always had women hanging off him but he never strayed. Javier was just friendly and there’s no need to be jealous. Javier was a good man. 

As if sensing her thoughts, Yuzuru turned and looked behind him towards where Javier stood, still in the middle of a gaggle of laughing women. Javier looked up at the same time, eyes looking for and finding Yuzuru. Sofia - standing behind Yuzuru - caught the full impact of Javier's slow, dawning smile and the almost unbearably soft look in his eyes. Sofia thinks she doesn’t have to warn Yuzuru about anything after all.

**Author's Note:**

> despedida = farewell  
> abuela = grandmother  
> muy bonito = so pretty
> 
> drop me a line at the comments section or at onewhiteblossom@gmail.com. I love talking.  
> Find me at [twitter](https://twitter.com/onewhiteblossom) for more Yuzu and Javi love.


End file.
